Xudat-Xachmaz

So, my sitemate Chris and I get bored sometimes and wander around Azerbaijan on foot. Last week we went on a walk between the 2 major cities in the Xachmaz region, Xudat (pronounced kind of like "who dat) and Xachmaz city. It took us about 5 hours including 3 stops for chips, beer, and some games of rummy cube.

The puppy who didn't want to be our friend

The out house that couldn't have come at a better moment

Roadside produce stand

Playing Catch-Up: Halloween Edition

Yeah, I forgot I had a blog again. These things happen. Anyway, For Halloween again this year I went p to Zaqatala to hang out with PCVs and enjoy the American-ness that Halloween is. It was a little sad because I realized this was the last time I would be in Zaqatala and Sheki, or anywhere past Baku really. But it was fun none the less. A group of PCVs went as circus themed costumes and I was the lion tamer.

Jake was the ring master. Good times were had by all.

New Season

Fall is finally here in Azerbaijan. This is great since the weather is not only bearable, but I would go so far as to say perfect. Unfortunately this also means that ice cream is dissapearing from stores more and more every day. I'm also not a fan of it getting darker earlier but I'll take it if it means I don't sweat through three shirts a day. Unfortunately my computer has also broken, I need to go drown my sorrows over that in some ice cream as soon as possible. Fall also means that school has started again and kids are running around the streetsof Quba n their suits and skirts again. I'm also down to 12 weeks left in Azerbaijan! This dawned on me as being barely any time at all while I was trying to schedule my last visits to different regions and friends. Clock is ticking down.

Out to Lunch

So, Quba has the best doner in all of Azerbaijan (no matter what Lucy says) and I'm lazy and it's hot so didn't want to cook anything today, hence, I went and got doner. Unfortunately I used my last qepik to but ice cream for breakfast (don't judge me) so I had to go to the ATM. As I was walking to my bank I saw a group of elderly people awkwardly hanging out in the shade on the street. Whatever, this is Azerbaijan, stranger things have happened. However as I got closer someone from the bank across the street uttered something in Azeri and the elderly loiterers turned into a mob and bum rushed the ATM (not my bank's). Now, when pension money comes out at the end of the month there are always unorganized lumps of people around the ATM, but I have never seen the stampede that happens before. So I continued on to my ATM which luckily nobody in Quba really uses so there is never a line. On my way I awkwardly walked through a group of 10 men praying on the street. Then I got honked at, yelled at in Russian, stared at, and got my doner. It was delicious.

10 hours on the road, or, thank goodness I have an ipod

Yesterday I had the opportunity (like how I'm staying positive?) to spend 10 hours on various buses, taxis, and cars (oh my). I had to travel across the country to put down a deposit on a camp site for G.L.O.W. next week. I don't know if I have painted a clear enough picture of transportation in this country in the past but to sum it up: extreme temperatures, crowded spaces, bad roads, horrible children, creepy men, gossippy (is that a word?) women, and uncomfortable seats. So here are some of my survival tips, they work pretty much year-round.

1. Sit by a window. You have better control of temperature and it makes me feel superior to be the "window master"

2. ipod. Sometimes I'll read on a bus but a lot of times the roads suck making it impossible to focus. An ipod loaded with music, podcasts, and audio books is key. I also just got a headphone splitter so now me and 4 others can listen to the same ipod which is great for listening to comedy because other people on the bus get freaked out when a group of Americans are sitting in silence then suddenly all start laughing at the same time.

3. Sunglasses. Even in the winter. People talk about me right in front of me and have an intense desire to stare. Sunglasses let me stare back or fall asleep, two birds one stone.

4. Don't travel. I need to follow this rule better but being on buses in this country usually just makes me mad. I'm gonna start taking more trains.

3 months

Yes, I still have a blog. I've just been busy (sort of) but here is a re-cap of the last 3 months.

May - Okay, so May wasn't super busy, I pretty much just stuck to my normal routine. But at the end of May I flew back to America for my brother's wedding. Now I have an awesome sister-in-law. How awesome you ask? Well, she let me do this at her wedding:

Yeah, that's me pretending to be a judge (or priest, take your pick).

June - I got back from America and decided that I didn't want to teach English for a week so I tagged along on the Embassy's soccer program for youth for a little bit. It was an interesting experience. 2 American soccer professionals came to Azerbaijan to work with youth in 3 regions and the capital. I think the best one was in Quba, but I'm a bit biased. Then it was back to work on my regular stuff. I also started working more (and still am) on the girl's camp that we will be doing in a couple weeks. Girls Leading Our World. My official title is "Pirate Queen" and I've been working with a lot of other volunteers to put this camp together.

July - GO AMERICA!!!!!

I don't know why I get so patriotic when I'm outside of the U.S. but just go with it. 4th of July was fun but extremely hot. Since then I have mostly been working on G.L.O.W. which happens the week after next.

Okay, so 3 months in a nutshell. Fun. Hopefully I'll remember I have a blog sometime in the next 2 months this time.

Pictures From Lahic